This blog is a place for us to give our Analysis and Opinions on important topics related to civics, government and politics.
Analysis is a clinical interpretation of items, issues, ideas, or events and an explanation of their impact on the future (i.e. something you think is going to happen).
Opinion is composed of your reactions, feelings, and beliefs on items, issues, ideas or events (i.e. something you would like to happen). Even though they are your opinions, they should be based in fact.

The people of the United States have political power because they are the ones who appoint and vote congress people, the president,and senators into their appointed seats. Once in those positions, the appointed hold the political power because they are the ones who vote important issues (such as in Congress). For example, Scott Walker was appointed govener of Wisconsin and used his political power to pass multiple new laws.

I believe that in this governmental system, everyone has power. Each (adult) individual has political power to vote for a candidate of choice, speak to persuade at public meetings, and influence other people. Because we have the freedom of speech we are able to speak freely of our opinions and that gives us political power. Any influence that one person may cause over another in terms of policies, government, ideals, etc. gives that person political power. Of course, in our government the three branches are each gifted with their own version of political power. Like Bryce said, congress can write laws, the president can veto or sign them, and the supreme court can decide if they are constitutional. The president is seen as the figurehead because of his executive power, but the people are the ones that chose for him to be in office. The people of the United States of America are the ones who have political power.

I feel that as President of the United States, President Obama holds a lot of the political power in America. As chief of the executive branch, the president ultimately decides policies but the Congress and the Supreme Court can rule him out if they think his policies are unjust, also known as "checks and balances" on his political power. Although, the people of the United States, as voters, get to have their say in what decisions are made in Congress; it is President Obama's duty to show that he is listening to us and our opinions as well. We all hold power in some way or another, but I believe that Barack Obama does have the highest authority.

The people of the United States hold the most power. Each adult has power to vote for candidates (whether they are Republican or Democratic), voice their opinion, and attempt to influence factions around them why their opinion is right. There are steps to further into the process of law making, and a particular law must get passed before moving further, but ultimately, the people of the United states have majority of control/power over laws. For example, I believe it was a mom who started a drinking and driving group that later turned into a law. Personal experiences that can be relate able to a large number of people also play a role in whether a law is passed or not.

The real question is, who doesn't have the power? In the USA specifically, everyone one has some sort of role in the government. The views and opinions of the people are heard by the congress men and women. They then propose bills to gain support from other congresspeople. If it gains enough support, the president may pass or veto the bill.

Overall, the people have the power to influence the way they would like to see the country. They are the first step in the political process, and the most important.For example, If someone believes cars should drive on the left side of the road, then he or she will gain support from others and then propose the idea to his congress man or woman. They influence how the government makes its laws and regulations.

I believe the people hold political power. If the people stand up and vote, speak out, and take action messages will get across. It only takes one person to cause a problem or one person to have an idea to solve a problem. Sure, the government has to go though steps in order to pass a law or toss around an idea but without the people problems would not arise and the government would not have anything to take action on.

The citizens of the United States hold the power. Much of the time, it is not direct- an individual can't just decide to create a law. However, individuals certainly influence the laws that are created. The citizens vote on bills, representatives, etc., that will influence their daily lives: They're choosing who/what they want to have power.

Citizens of the U.S. also display their power through protesting, petitions, and interest groups. Like-minded people join together for a cause that they feel strongly about, whether they want to stop something from happening (teachers protesting in Madison) or make something happen (LGBT rights groups marching for marriage rights.

While it is true that people of the United States have power, I believe we are fooled as to how much power we really have. Sure we can vote for who we want to represent us as citizens, but ultimately Congress and the President have the most power. They decide our laws, national budget, taxes, etc. and are ultimately held responsible for the future and productivity of our nation. Therefore, they must have the most power.

I also agree with Brittany, we all have some kind of power/role we play with the government. There are just different degrees of power. For example, I would say the president overall has the most power because he ultimately has the final say on a matter. I also feel like the power has steps, matters build up. It starts with the people's say and that goes out into who we vote for. Then congress makes there statements based somewhat on what the people say. Then finally, like I said before, the president for the most part gets the final say.

The congress are the ones who make the laws for our government, but the president is the one who either signs or vetoes the laws. However, the people are the ones who elected those officials into the positions that they are in. Without the U.S. citizens voting, the president wouldn't be the president, and the congress wouldn't be the congress. So in my eyes the citizens hold the most power. But ultimately, everyone holds some political power, so it depends on how one looks at it to decide who has the most power.

Power is spread out through many areas of our government. The three branches of government; Executive, Legislative, and Judicial each have their own specific powers. As citizens, we have power by voting for who we want to represent us in each of these branches. For example, we vote on a president who bests represents our beliefs. The president serves and represents the people of the United States. Who we vote for and who gets elected has the most power. Citizens have the power to choose and the one or few individuals that get chosen ends up with more power. However, the power is split up between these branches and due to the separation of powers, and checks and balances, no branch or individual can be become an overpowered ruler.

I believe that the individual who has the most power in the United states is the president, Barack Obama. The president has the power to veto any Act of Congress unless override by 2/3. Mr. Obama is in charge of foreign affairs, and can also deploy troops without declaring war,as commander and chief. He nominates all high ranking executive officers and federal judges with senates approval. the president has the power to make the budget, but has to be accepted by congress. He has the power to be heard, everyone knows him and he is a highly respected official in our government, when he proposes legislation (state of the union) people listen to his ideas.

The people of the U.S. have political power. Changes in our country are due to wants and needs of the citizens. The choices that are made to benefit those that live here today may have a great effect in the future for the country. The people vote for those that they believe will benefit their interests that affect their everyday lives. The government as a whole is greatly influenced by the people that it governs. Without the people of our country, our lives may not have had such a positive outlook as the one today.

Who has political power? I believe everyone in the U.S. does, but who has the most power? In my opinion, definitely not the average citizen. Sure we have a voice as to who we believe should be voted into different positions (like the president for example) but once those people are elected we cannot control what they do. We have the power to make decisions as to who should have the most power to do things such as run the country, make laws, vote on important issues, and so on. Like I said, I believe everyone has "power" to a certain degree, but in the end people and groups like the president, congress, senators, governors, etc. hold the most power.

I believe that in our country today, the citizens have the most power. We can vote to elect members of the government, from people in the senate and congress to the President. They vote for these people because they like what they stand for. Once these representatives are elected into government, they fight for/bring light to issues important to the citizens who voted for them.

In all technicality, everyone has some sort of political power. That's not to say whether they will use it or not, but they have political power to say the least. The citizens of the United States can vote for many governmental representatives, like the president, Congress, and even the Supreme Court. Voters and many special interests groups also have indirect political power on the policy that the government goes for.The President can decide many policies, but Congress and the Supreme Court can stop him with their power. We all have political power.

The people of the United States hold the power, they vote on congressman and even the president to represent their ideas once they get into their positions. Then in the governmental positions the elected vote on issues mostly on the side of the opinions of the people that elected them. Then these issues voted on by the congressman represent most of the opinions of the people that voted for them and thus satisfying the people. For example the people of Wisconsin voted for Ron Johnson to be a senator and represent their ideas, and he voted no on a bill that talked about war with Syria.

I believe Congress has the most power in our government because they write the laws that we the citizens must follow. It is true that the citizens, the President, and the Supreme Court have power but not as much as Congress. Some may argue that the citizens have the most power because they have the ability to vote. Sure, the citizens can vote on who is elected into Congress, but this situation is comparable to electing a school president. The student body has the power to vote who they want in charge, but once the election is over, the president has the power to say what goes on in the school. The President of the United States does not have as much power as Congress because he may only sign and veto the laws the Congress creates. Lastly, the Supreme Court does not have as much power because they can only say if a law is constitutional or not. Therefore, Congress has the most power because they have the ability to create and write legislation.

The people ultimately have the power in the United States, as it says in the Preamble, "We the People of the United States..." Everyone over the age of 18 is allowed to vote for the candidate they want to win the election, and can also try to influence others through their freedom of speech. Any change in our country comes from the people.

Each branch of the government holds a large amount of political power. The Legislative branch creates the laws, the Executive branch enforces the laws, and the Judicial branch decides if they are constitutional. Within the Legislative Branch there are two bodies, the house of Representatives and the Senate. Both of these hold representatives which the people vote for. Currently our representative for the House is Paul Ryan, and the senators for Wisconsin are Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson. As the name implies, representatives represent their constituents best interests. Within the Executive Branch, the people also vote for the president, governors, ect...

Considering the people vote for their officials to represent them; the People of the United States of America hold the most political power

In the United States, Congress holds the political power. Congress can make and pass laws. Yes, the president has the opportunity to veto the bill but congress can still vote the bill through after that. Congress also controls the money for the government and taxes for the people. Congress can also establish courts, post offices, post roads, and admit new states. Congress can issue patents and copyrights and has impeaching powers. The members of Congress hold the political power.

Due to different policies put in place at the founding of our government, I believe political power is dispersed through the people, and the three branches of our government. The founding fathers put in different measures to ensure that one faction did not get too powerful. The executive branch(currently President Obama)is the commander in chief, the leader of the country, and he has the power to veto over the legislation's of Congress. The legislative branch is bicameral, with two chambers--the House of Representatives and the Senate. This appropriately divides the power between the two houses. Congress also holds the power to impeach a President. The Judicial branch has the ultimate power of the Constitution, it has the final say in the interpretation and judging of misconduct according to the US Constitution. Ultimately, however, the people hold power, directly and indirectly. Directly through the election of representatives, and indirectly in cases such as the Electoral College.

In my opinion, I believe that the question of who has political power can be answered in many different ways. There is the argument that the people of America have the most political power because they are able to vote on who they believe will represent them the best on a political level, for example a state senator. While others may argue that the three branches of our government have the most power. This argument is solely based off of what those branches do as individuals to avoid tyranny, using the system of checks and balances, as stated in the articles of our constitution. The founding fathers of our constitution however tried their best to make sure one branch never had more power than the others. The creators of the constitution never meant for the three branches of government or the people of the United States to act separately but as a whole to strengthen ourselves to be the best country possible and to overall keep tyranny out of our daily lives. So my answer to the question would not be one straight forward group of people, but instead would be multiple. Starting from the average American people deciding on who to vote for, then going to the representatives that were selected and the decisions they make to insure that our country overall is better as a whole. These decisions may not be the most popular with every American but are made with one goal in mind, to keep our country free and every man equal in the sense of using their own political power as a citizen to vote and keep our government working.

Theoretically all United States citizens have political power. President Barack Obama has the power to wage war on other countries because he is the commander and cheif of the army. however before he can just go to war he has to have permission from congress to take military actions. The president also has the power to sign or veto bills. However if the president vetos a bill and can still become a law if it passes the congress and senate by 2/3 vote. Then it becomes a law no matter what the president says. The congress and the senate represent what the people want. Therefore no one person has more political power than anyone else.

The people that have political power in our country are Citizens in the United States who are 18 and are of age to vote.This is because when you are eligible to vote it is ultimately your and other fellow citizen's choice on who you want to represent your district, city, state, or country. that being said, you are giving political power to people such as Scott Walker, Barack Obama, and other representatives. These people then carry out their political duties to you in which they had sworn to do in the election process.

I believe that citizens have the most political power because they are able to choose who is in congress and who becomes president. So they are ultimately choosing who gets to make laws and enforce them. However, congress has power because they get to make all the laws, but do to checks and balances, the executive and judicial branches have some power of the legislative branch. For example, if the president does not agree with a bill he can veto it, and the Supreme Court can issue a law unconstitutional. Therefore, I think that each branch and the citizens all have a little bit of political power and a say in how are country works.

The citizens of the United States have political power. The people decide on who gets to be involved in government through voting. Elected officials can only get their position if the people vote for them. So the citizens can decide, as a majority, on who gets to go where. Once these officials get elected they make their best judgement and represent the people the best they can. Even at a higher level the people can make a difference. For example, when governer Scott Walker was elected he had new plans and tried new ideas. Some of the people didn't like these new plans. Once their was enough supporters of recalling Scott Walker the government allowed another vote. So even when the people don't agree with their representative they can still elect him out of office. There are three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) and they do make more important decisions that citizens do not make, but the citizens elected those people to those positions. It all starts with the people.

I believe that the citizens of the United States have the ultimate power. This would be because we the people get to decide who we want to run the government. Although the elected officials of our government propose and pass laws, the citizens have the job to pick the people that they want to represent them. Everything that the representatives do is for the people that elected them. Also the representatives are only in office because of the people that voted them in, which would be the citizens. On the other hand, if you are talking about who has the most power in our government that is an elected official I would say the president, Barack Obama. The president has the job of commander and chief of the army and in todays day and age with all of the problems going on in the world being head of the army is pretty important. Even though the president doesn't have the final say in the matter, he does propose all of the laws that could make changes for us as the people of the United States. Although there are many other people involved in our government I think that because the president proposes the laws he one of the most important parts. The political power in the United States is spilt up into many different branches but the people and the president are given the most power in my opinion.

The United States Government is set up in a way that allows citizens to vote for representatives who believe in the same values and policies as their own. In a way, this system allows the citizens to have the most power; they have complete autonomy in the voting process, and the fate of the governmental path is entirely dependent on their vote. In reality, though, I think that most power lies in the president. During the election process, the president can say anything to the people to make them happy and gain their support (giving him power of public opinion). Once in office, he or she has complete license to disregard anything previously promised, and as long as they have the majority in congress, their power is frightening. The president has the ability to veto or override any proposed law,and basically point the country in any direction he or she wants. Though the congress was created to check the president's large amount of power, in the end, if a man is desperate enough, he chooses his own trajectory over others. The process of impeachment was established to rid the government of a president when he becomes more tyrannical than democratic, but, as demonstrated by its lack of implementation in history, the process hardly reaches the point of booting the president from office.

I believe that the citizens have the most power. They have the most power by controlling directly and indirectly the three branches of government. We can influence the legislative branch by electing congressmen. We also obviously elect the president and head of the executive branch. He can then appoint judges to the supreme court and the senate must approve (judicial branch). Therefore, citizens have a say in each aspect of our government in some way. However some citizens are more influential then others which gives them more political power. They do this not by voting more then the rest of us, but by influencing the votes of others by donating money to campaigns to get "their" candidate to win. Another way people influence other peoples votes is by using their freedom of speech to reach a large audience and speak their opinions. Some people can reach larger audiences then others which gives them more political power then the average citizen.

Although our president, legislators, and judiciary members of the United Stated government in the executive, legislative, and judiciary branch hold the power to make changes and guide our nation, ultimately it is the people who have the power to choose and appoint them in their positions of political power. Our government was created off the basis of “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” so it is no surprise that we the people choose who govern us and who we give more political power to. As a democracy, the power is in the hands of the people, and we exercise this power through elected officials. By electing a president, a congressman, a senator or any other official, citizens exercise their political power by having the right to choose. However, they essentially “give” their political power to these elected officials who now represent their political standpoint.

For example, when citizens exercised their right to vote in the 2012 presidential election, they chose the candidate who they felt most nearly represented their views and whom they could trust to represent their political standpoint most accurately. They used their political power to elect Barrack Obama for his second term as president, giving Obama the political power of the presidency.

This, in turn, shows how important it is that U.S. citizens practice their right to vote. As previously stated, our democracy gives power to the people through elected to officials. So, if one does not vote, they are essentially squandering their political power. This is evident through the graphic (linked below) below that displays the disparity of whom Congress represents and who it would represent if Congress was reflective of all U.S. citizens. Every U.S. citizen has political power, and voting is one of the most important ways to exercise that power.

http://www.bilerico.com/2011/04/x0hj.png

Specific people who have political power are those like Wisconsin Senator Scott Fitzgerald or Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Fitzgerald was elected by the people of Wisconsin to represent their interests in Congress. As a Congressman, he has the political power to pass legislature and vote for certain laws to be instated or not. Sotomayor was appointed by the President, while the President was elected by the people--showing how the process of political power works. She exercises this political power by interpreting the people’s rights from the Constitution and applying them to cases in our nation and within our government. For both, they exercise their respective political powers given to them by the people.

I, too, believe political power originates with the people. By creating a system in which the government is elected by the people, the Founders of our government (Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, etc.) ensured this. However, when we elect presidents, mayors, governors, etc., such as Barack Obama as the President, we are entrusting them to directly exercise our political power-- through these people, we are indirectly ruling our own country. The legislative, executive, and judicial branch, then, have this more dominating, direct sort of political power in writing, signing and interpreting laws, respectively. But the power itself ultimately begins with the people.

That being said, I also think political power can fall from the hands of citizens if they do not participate in their government, as Amy stated. The people are able to vote, to write to those they elect (such as writing to governor Scott Walker, as we live in Wisconsin) and to attend town meetings, amongst other democratic opportunities. If they do not utilize these opportunities to express their grievances, such as choosing not to vote, they lose their political power and influence.

Each individual citizen has political power, as long as it is exercised, through actions such as writing to representatives. The government body itself, such as the United States Congress, has more direct political power.

In the United States, ultimate political power lies with the average voter. All public officials owe their power and position to the people in some way. The person most singularly representative of the political power in the United States, President Obama, is elected (albeit indirectly) by the common people to his office; the person that represents each and every city of the entire United States, the city's Mayor, is also elected by their people. Therefore, all of the laws that are influenced by these elected officials are by extension, influenced by the voters.

In the United States, the citizens hold the political power. This is because the citizens, or the people, are responsible for the leaders who are elected, such as the president, and the members in the house and the senate. In the voting process, every vote counts which is synonymous with every voice being heard. Although we do not directly make the decisions, we choose people who's views on politics reflect our values and ideas, and they make the decisions for us. This is part of being an indirect democracy, because citizens are able to vote for people to voice their opinions and those chosen people are responsible to do so.

All three branches and the citizen hold power in the United States government. The citizens have the power to put certain people into the offices of each branch. From there, Congress has the power to write laws, declare war, and veto laws that President Obama would like to pass. The Executive branch has the power to dictate war, and the Judicial branch has the power to punish citizens for their crimes.

Every one in the United States has political power. Except persons under the age of eighteen. Except persons that are not citizens. Except persons who have previously committed a felony. Except, except, except..it boils down to eligible, American adults with citizenship and many other qualifications.

But these individuals that do have power exist in an indirect democracy, which means that they really don't have power. Eligible citizens appoint representatives to make decisions for them. Therefore, it is not the eligible citizen that holds political power, but appointed representatives which have political power.

To conclude, it is neither Mr. Bretzmann nor myself, but Scott Walker, Tammy Baldwin, Ron Johnson, and Barack Obama that has political power.

The framers designed the constitution so that all branches of the government have political power. The legislative branch, lead by John Boehner in the House and Harry Reid in the Senate, passes laws to govern the nation. The President, Barack Obama, heads the executive branch which enforces the nation’s laws. He also has veto powers and is commander in chief.The judicial branch, lead by Chief Justice Roberts of the Supreme Court, interprets the laws and the constitutionality of them. This system has a series of checks and balances to distribute political power and prevent one branch from becoming too powerful.Although the prominent members of federal government may hold greater power individually, all citizens of the United States collectively hold the most political power. As the constitution begins: “We the People...” , the ultimate source of power in America is its citizens. The people have the power to elect their representatives in congress and the state legislatures, and are the ones who can cast their vote to help determine the next president. The citizens have the ultimate power in the United States.

The President (barrack obama) as chief of the executive branch, has the ultimate say in what happens, but the Congress and the Supreme Court can stop him, if they think that someone needs to be enforced, by getting a majority vote from the congress. Obama is in charge of our military fields, he gives the ok to send troops. some argue that the U.S citizens (18+) have individual power, given the opurtunity to vote, overall choosing who has the power in the U.S.

Eligible people have the ultimate authority because they vote for who will represent us. In our national government, I believe the President (Barrack Obama) has the most power. Yes, Congress and the Supreme Court can stop him, but the media listens to the president the most. His voice is most heard, making his agenda on the minds of citizens.As a nation of checks and balances, the people are the most influential on the current issues. They voice their opinions so Congress can pass laws, so the Supreme Court can interpret a law, and so the President can veto laws that the majority don't agree with.

Citizens have one of the strongest say and power in our Government. We are the people who get to vote who governs our country (President & Congress). We have the freedom of speech, so we can state our position on issues and have the right to protest against them. However, if you are under the age of 18 you don't have as much say or if you don't vote in general. We generally tend to vote for candidates who share the same values and stances on political points.The constitution gives us freedom and protects our rights. So therefore, we have a big say due to our power to control who runs our country.

It is my understanding that we as the citizens have the power to make change and make decisions in our governmental structure. The citizens of the United States of America are able to elect representatives that reflect our opinions into office such as Barack Obama, the president. Using our votes and our voice we are able to influence the executive branch and the legislative branch. These branches later develop new laws and carry them out according to the will of us citizens. In addition, we are capable of creating and running interest groups to better persuade more citizens and ultimately the governing offices. The political power does not lie with one person but with ALL the citizens of our democracy.

All three branches of government hold political power. The Legislative branch has the power to create laws. The Judicial branch interprets the law. The Executive branch has the ability to veto legislature. At the base of our governmental system are the people. “We the people” have the most power because any adult has the power to vote. Elections can decide who represents them as the majority, this being from President Barrack Obama to Congressmen Paul Ryan. The constitution is built around the people being in control.

In our government the power is split up into many different groups. The president has a share of this power but he is ultimately responsible to the voters of the united states, who decide if he gets another term in office. The Congress also has a lot of power, as everything had to go through them and be approved before it can be put into practice. Another branch with power it's the judicial branch, because they control our nations courts, including the supreme court, ever highest court in the country.

In our government the power is split up into many different groups. The president has a share of this power but he is ultimately responsible to the voters of the united states, who decide if he gets another term in office. The Congress also has a lot of power, as everything had to go through them and be approved before it can be put into practice. Another branch with power it's the judicial branch, because they control our nations courts, including the supreme court, ever highest court in the country.

Everyone has political power. From citizens to the government everyone has some sort of power. The people of America can vote for government positions, they have freedom of speech, and can start groups to persuade the government or people on laws. The congress has power because they can veto the president for a law or other things. Also they can make laws. Supreme court is similar to congress and the president gets to make decisions on laws before congress and controls military forces. So overall every citizen has a say in something.

The US is founded in the idea that everyone has some political power, whether that is high powered officials (like the President, Supreme Court Judges, etc.), or everyday citizens over the age of 18.

Government officials power is more direct. Each of the three branches of the government has power in its own way, but the branches also balance each other to make sure no single group of officials has more power than the others. This system is the "Check and Balance" system.

The citizens of America, though, play a more indirect role in politics. We are the ones that choose the officials that are in control of our country and make decisions for us all. We also use freedoms we have, the freedom of speech, for example, to share what we believe and ultimately try to sway the decisions the government makes on our behalf.

When asking the question, "Who has political power?", there is a large amount of room for interpretation based on the perspective of the people who is answering that question. It begs the question, what is political power? For me, political power is either the exercise of power to change or keep the same, or how influential one is in achieving change or status quo.

To me, the answer is that everyone has political power. The amount of power that each individual holds, however, is different. Going from top to bottom, it could be said that the President ultimately holds the most political power. It could be seen that President Obama holds the most political power: the presidency is ultimately seen as the father figure of American ideals of that time. When the President of the United States advocates for something done, media checks upon that legislation to see if that something is being done. President Obama could directly keep the status quo with a veto. It is President Obama who appeals to the ideals of the citizens in State of the Union addresses often, and it is President Obama, not Governor Scott Walker, who gets the most airtime, the widest coverage, and the largest audience. It is President Obama who travels to Geneva to raise support for military intervention in Syria, not Congress. It President Obama who holds greater influence over the collective policies of allies and adversaries, rather than the irate citizen demanding social justice for atrocities in a war torn Middle East. When poeple think of governments, especially foreign governments, it is the executive branch, rather than the Congress, that people remember. We hardly hear something as a victory for Congress and the people of the United States, but rather as a legislative victory for President Obama.

Congres also has political power, but less power in the aspect that it can influence fewer people, though it directly change things. But Congress can only change things with a group consensus, a majority in support for change. A Senator has no less political power than a citizen as an individual, but when in a group, the legislative branch has a fair amount of power.

This leads to the point that the individual with the most power is the President of the United States. The group with the most political power is Congress. And the group with the most power to influence laws and the government is the people. We elect those officials. Individual voices are not heard as much as collective outcries are.

The democratic party has political power and they have had it now for about 8 years. They have power in my opinion because the president (Barack Obama) and majority of the senate are part of the democratic party. So this means that all their view points are based off of those ideas. Also, for laws to be passed they have to go through multiple stages and two of those stages happen to be the president and senate. Another reason why that party has political power. Lastly, Obama has to make many important decisions among the citizens, and since he is apart of the democratic party, all of his view points are going to be from those ideas. All in all, I think the democratic party has political power.

I believe that in the governmental system of the United States, everyone has power in some regard. For example, each US citizen 18 and older holds the power to vote for a candidate that represents their political beliefs. These citizens can further voice their opinions by becoming politically educated and taking action themselves. The influence of one person can branch across the nation, which is greatly attributed to freedom of speech. Without it, citizens would have no control in what occurs in the world around them. However, there is greater governmental power that lies within the three branches of government. Congress (Legislative branch) holds the lawmaking capability through the Senate and House of Representatives. President Obama (Executive branch) currently resides as the commander in chief, which gives him the power to veto or sign the laws that Congress attempts to pass. While both the Legislative and Executive branches are elected by the previously mentioned citizens, the members of the Judicial branch are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. These Judiciary members hold power in regard to the interpretation of laws within the United States under the Constitution. This means that they must decide whether laws are constitutional or not. The power held by the Judicial branch is represented by the Supreme Court as well as other federal courts. Through Judiciary interpretation, US citizens' individual rights are protected. Therefore, the functions of government seem to come in full circle. While the extent of distributed power varies, each and every one of us - lawmaker or not - has some political leverage.

Many people have political power. The average person votes to elect a person they believe will represent their views in office. Whether its Barack Obama as president or Ron Johnson as a senator, people elected them into office. In return, both have political power. As president, Obama can sign and veto laws and make decicisons based on what he thinks is best for the country. As a senator, Johnson can write laws, and vote on decisions based on what he thinks is best for the country. Both have some political power over each other. Johnson and his fellow senators and representatives can over rule the presidents veto. The president has political power over Congress. Obama can make executive orders that can bypass the approval of congress. Lets not forget about the judicial branch. They have power over congress by determining how Congress meant the law to apply to disputes and have power over the president by declaring a law he/she signed unconstitutional. The president can appoint judicial branch court members but congress has to approve them.

I believe that the people eligible to vote (aka peoples over the age of 18 and/or legal residents of the United States) hold the most political power. We the people have the right to vote for the candidates that we want to best represent us. These candidates are then put in a position in which they need to satisfy our requests; by which they represent us in a larger court. Therefore, the people's voices are being heard in a bigger picture, giving the people the ultimate political power.

I believe that political power lies in the hands of many people. The citizens of the US ( 18 and older) have the right to vote who they would like to represent themselves in the governmental system. As we pass on our political power to those in appointed systems, we trust them to represent us when making choices. These appointed positions include the people who serve as our mayors and governors (Scott Walker, governor of WI) and who make up the legislative (congress) , judicial (supreme court), and executive branches (President Obama.) However, political power originates with the citizens of the USA.

In general, I believe that everyone has political power. The average person is able to vote and help choose who they want to be their representative, such as Barack Obama as President and Scott Walker as Governor. These representatives have the power to pass laws that help guide our country. A good example of this is seat belt laws, as if people are concerned with automobile safety, they can lobby their state legislatures who they voted for to fix these problems.

There are manhy different types of political power in our United States.The president(Barack Obama), has a lot of political power, but his power is counterbalanced by the other branches of government. As republican speaker of the house, John Boehner has a lot of influence and power in politics. We the citizens have political power by electing who we want to represent us, who we want to lead us, and our president of the united states. Everyone has a huge role, and should exercise their power to vote and use their voice so they know that they count in the big decisions that are made in our government every day.

Political power rests in the hands of the people who choose to use it. Citizens of the United States pick who runs the government and can also be in those elected in to government positions. In the government the most political power rests in the hands of congress who write the laws. For example during the Clinton presidency the Congress was composed of a majority of Republicans led by Newt Gingrich. The laws of the 90's were quite moderate all though the president was liberal. The same was true in the last congressional term of George W. Bush's 2nd term when the house of representatives was led by Nancy Pelosi.

I think the people have the power because they are the ones who vote. But I also think that congress has most of the power because they are the ones who wrote the laws that every one lives by. Since our government uses checks and balences the power is equally dispersed through the three branches.

Who has political power? What is political power? By definition political power is "a type of power held by a group in a society which allows administration of some or all of public resources, including labour, and wealth." Political power is held by those who run our government, congress, the president, and the supreme court. They are the ones who, through debates and votes have the power to use some or all of the "public resources". If you start at the bottom, it is us, the voters, who give these individuals the power to govern us. This while important is not exactly political power. While we may propose bills or petition for changes, we do not have any direct power over the use of resources.

Political power comes from a large variety of different areas in our government. Each branch of the government has the power to do different things. There are a complicated set of checks and balances so that no branch has all of the power. For example, the President serves as the commander in chief of the armed forces, but only Congress has the power to declare war. Similarly, the President has the power to veto laws made by the legislative branch, but the legislative branch also has the power to override the president's veto by a two-thirds vote. Also, the legislative branch has the power to to make laws, but the judicial branch has the power to rule them unconstitutional. The House of Representatives also has the Power to impeach a president, but he then has to also be tried by the Senate. This makes it so that it is hard to remove a president from office to avoid arbitrary decisions. This happened in the case of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. They were impeached by the House of Representatives but the Senate did not find them guilty. There are a large variety of checks and balances within the government. Any power that one branch of the government has can be checked by another branch of the government so that a separation of powers is achieved. Because of this, no one branch has all of the power.

Although these different checks and balances are in place to separate the powers, ultimately the power that every branch has is derived from the people. If the government is not supported by a majority of the people, it is no longer a democracy. If the government is no longer representing the people, then people have the power to vote for different representation. This makes it so that the government always needs act with the interests of people in mind.

Therefore, the power is widespread throughout the government, but it originates in the people as it the constitution's intent.

Everyone in the U.S. has political power; From President Obama, to Scott Walker, and even every citizen. If you have the right to vote, you have political power, it just varies with how much. Citizens can appoint elected officials to speak for them, and trust those officials to make the right choice on their behalf. So in short everyone who has the right to vote has power, it just depends on how much you care.

All people in the United States have political power because our Constitution revolves around citizen activity in the government so that no one leader can take over. By voting you are using your political power because you are indirectly laying a path that our country will take by electing a certain official to office. We vote for a specific person because we like some of the things they say they will do. In short any one that wants to have political power can have it by simply using your right to vote.

(Mr. Bretzmann: I emailed you my blog yesterday because my comment would not show up)

Who has political power?

Realistically, the entire world has political power. The Middle East, Russia, China... Each has a huge influence on American politics. Vladimir Putin gave Snowden asylum and also influenced Syria to surrender their weapons over time. America is yet to see the final results and effects of these events, along with how they will directly affect American politics.

Another outlook is that Americans, the people, control the government. The people elect congress men and women, and in result these elected representatives make decisions to pass legislation to influence people's everyday lives.

President Obama also has political power because he is the commander-in-chief and he has direct access to Americans in their homes through the media, so his views are quickly and widely publicized.

All citizens of the country have an influential amount of political power. Some however hold a higher status than others therefore giving them an advantage over others. Nontheless all of us have a say. As framed by the Constitution. WE, the people, choose our leaders, our leaders make decisions for us and by us. We don't like what they choose or how they do it. We hire a new leader or representative. Power is knowege, knowlege is power. Haveing the knowege of how our government and country works, gives that specific person more or less power.

The people of the United States hold the power. Though President Obama, Congress, and the Supreme Court make the political decisions for the country, ultimately they would not be in a position of power if the people did not put them there in the first place. Every person has political power, it is their choice whether to use it or not(example: voting).

I believe that the citizens of the United States have the ultimate power because we get to decide who we want to run the government. Once you turn 18 you have the political power to vote for a candidate, influence others why your opinion may or my not be right, but because we have the freedom of speech we are able to speak freely of our opinions and that gives us the political power to make decisions. Although we don't directly "create the law" we influence the laws that are made and ultimately going to be revolved around the citizens and what satisfies us.

Anyone can have political power if they chose to use it. However some people have more power then others just because of their influence on other people. These people are usually celebrities or politicians. Celebrities can have political power because of their outreach to many people and their respected status. These would be people like Oprah Winfrey. Politicians obviously have more political power then the average citizen because they are directly involved in the government and make decisions that effect all of us. These would be people such as President Barack Obama or Governor Scott Walker.

Us citizens have political power because we elect our own officials who run the government.Congress has the power to make laws.The Supreme Court has the power of judicial review and defining laws and ending disputes between the state and national government.Obama, the President, has the power to approve or veto laws.Lots of parts and people of the government have power, but not all of them have the same political power or the most political power. That's what our government tries to accomplish in dividing power and creating checks and balances, etc.

Don't you think that whatever party is in office has more political power though. I mean they are the ones to make decisions for people and help all citizens out. The people may vote for whoever they want in office but I don't think they actually have the greatest amount of "political power" if you understand what I'm saying. Once Obama is out of office then there will be a new leader who has the most political power in my eyes.